Saratoga EV Charging Stations Usage Rises in September

After last Wednesday’s Saratoga City Council meeting, Mayor Chuck Page noticed an unusual sight: a man was sleeping in his electric vehicle, which was plugged in to one of Saratoga’s new charging stations.

At seven or eight hours a charge, he had time to snag some zzzs.

In June, Saratoga installed eight electric vehicle charging stations around the city: four at City Hall, two at the library, and two in the Village.

Usage is up: in September, 281.609 kilowatt hours were used ($93.03) versus 221.611 kilowatt hours in August ($76.68), according to Debbie Bretschneider, executive assistant to Saratoga City Manager Dave Anderson. That’s 44 charges last month versus 31 the month before.

On Sept. 12, the city hosted an official ribbon cutting ceremony for them as well as a new solar roof on the library. “It’s important to be prepared for the future,” said Page, pointing out that Saratoga was the first city in Santa Clara County to officially approve such charging stations.

While the use of the stations is still limited, they set a technological precedent for Saratoga, said Anderson.

“Our local government has been a leader in trying to establish new technologies,” said Anderson.

The city applied for, and received, six of the charging stations -- free of charge -- through Coulomb Technology's ChargePoint America Program. Their program is partially funded by a federal grant administered by the Department of Energy through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

The city then paid the Campbell-based Coulomb Technology $7,855 for an extra dual charging station at the library. They then footed a $50,312.96 bill to REJ Electricity Company to install the stations.

The Council was initially opposed to charging stations in the Village, but Page pushed for them.

“The Village is a destination, and people can use them while they’re shopping or relaxing,” he said. “I would personally like to see more there.”